After falling in three consecutive games, the Blue Devils look to turn things around Sunday when they face top-ranked and undefeated Northwestern (10-0) at 1 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium.
The Wildcats, however, have had a full week to prepare and are coming off of three wins over top-20 opponents.
Duke has been improving on draw control since earlier in the season, going head to head against Notre Dame with 11 in Thursday's game, and the Blue Devils will need to continue this trend to be competitive with the three-time defending national champion.
"The answer is within ourselves. We're just looking really hard to find it right now," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "To play Northwestern, we're gong to have to do some very different things, because of the way they play defense. That can be good for us-making us do refreshing things on offense and change things up."
Last season, the Blue Devils fell, 17-5, to Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The loss was particularly painful because Duke lost to the Wildcats in the 2006 final four, as well.
Northwestern has barely slowed down since winning the title that year. The Wildcats have trounced teams this season, winning by an average of 13 goals per game.
But the Blue Devils remain optimistic.
"We're actually in a great position, because we're the underdog," goalie Kim Imbesi said. "There's absolutely nothing to lose. We're positive about it. It's more about us, getting us back to where we need to be and playing well."
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